2032‑2033 UTAH JAZZ PRESS CONFERENCE

[digiskunk]

2032‑2033 UTAH JAZZ PRESS CONFERENCE

digiskunk: Ahem... Welcome, everybody, to yet another year of Utah Jazz basketball. Now before I begin, I would like to send my sincere condolences to the fine people of Utah. For the past 20+ seasons, you guys have welcomed me into your loving arms as I methodically ran your beloved franchise into the ground. No matter what I did or how hard I tried to get fired, you guys were always there for me—and for that, I'm eternally grateful. Really. Now with that said, let's begin.

Last season wasn't exactly one to brag about, to say the least. Before the season began, we had high hopes and even humored the idea of making the playoffs... But alas, we only ended up winning 16 games, and to make matters even worse, we lost Quintin Kidd during RFA. Oh, should I mention that we also didn't have our draft pick last season? Yeah, not fun.

However, not all was lost: We were really impressed with young guys such as Len Bias and Leonard Washington; both of whom had sensational seasons, with Bias leading the team in points per game (26.6) and Washington averaging 25.5ppg. If their breakout was any indication, expect to see some big things from them come regular season.

But now, let's talk about our offseason moves. We attempted to make a splash in free agency but ultimately, the fish weren't biting. Players were quickly being bought off the market and we knew our options were limited. We managed to sign our new starting forward, Tua Tagovailoa, and ultimately had long-term plans to pair him with Lino Brookins, who was one of the last stars still on the market. Despite making a reasonable offer of $11.5 per season to him (2-year contract), he ended up signing with the Indiana Pacers for a whopping $20.5m. Seriously now? You're going to spend that much money on a player of Brookins' caliber? I mean, we're desperate, and not even the Utah Jazz would make an offer that ludicrous. Now that's what I call frivolous spending.

After failing to sign Brookins, we knew we had to make some kind of "big" move, so we picked up Jason Waters, yet another forward, for $6.25m. We also brought in some familiar faces to strengthen our front court: Karl-Anthony Towns and Vernon Desantis both signed for the vet minimum and will provide some valuable minutes off the bench.

Anyway, that should just about cover it.

Any questions?

phpBB [video]

[NOLa.]

There’s a lot of chatter around the league that Len Bias will be trades by the deadline, or at the very least he will not be wearing a Jazz uniform by this time next season. Are there any truths to these rumors?


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[NickMalone77]

With the fate of TC leaving Utah in a bit of a mess, do you see the Jazz needing to make a move to improve the front court or will this season be another year of exploration and standing still?

[digiskunk]

There’s a lot of chatter around the league that Len Bias will be trades by the deadline, or at the very least he will not be wearing a Jazz uniform by this time next season. Are there any truths to these rumors?

There is absolutely NO truth to those rumors. Len Bias and Leonard Washington are both untouchable as far as we're concerned.

[digiskunk]

With the fate of TC leaving Utah in a bit of a mess, do you see the Jazz needing to make a move to improve the front court or will this season be another year of exploration and standing still?

Everybody and their mother knows that our front court is incredibly thin right now, at least in terms of youth. We have Isaiah Stewart, who once had a lot of potential, starting at power forward now over Mike Piazza. We're going to give Kevin Brown the start at center, too. The reasoning behind this is that both are young with a lot of potential, so we're hoping to get lucky with a diamond in the rough.

[MexicanMamba]

Timmy Jernigan of SportsIllustratedKids.com ... We've heard that Utah is in the running for this year's 'Greatest Team Ever' title. Would be big, if true. Do you guys deserve it!?

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[digiskunk]

Timmy Jernigan of SportsIllustratedKids.com ... We've heard that Utah is in the running for this year's 'Greatest Team Ever' title. Would be big, if true. Do you guys deserve it!?

If there's any team that deserves it, it's undoubtedly us. We're the reigning, undefeated champions after all, so that should tell you enough about our legacy. And it's all thanks to players like Joshua Swan.

[Keepit100]

Are you prepping yourself for a rebuild or are you keeping your options open for a possible trade to get some talent now and make a run with Bias/Washington?

[Xist2Inspire]

Random Reporter: Does the success that guys like JR Johnson, Silky Johnson, and Slim Jenkins have had since leaving Utah make you more cautious/determined to keep Len Bias and Leonard Washington around?

[garbageman]

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: Do you think Bias and Washington would have as much success last season if they weren't pulling the weight for an incapable front court? With more additions to your frontcourt this season, do you expect a drop in numbers?

[digiskunk]

Are you prepping yourself for a rebuild or are you keeping your options open for a possible trade to get some talent now and make a run with Bias/Washington?

Haha, technically I've been "rebuilding" this team for about 4-5 seasons now. Technically, we're still in our rebuild—but we're hoping to make a splash in free agency next season (again); hopefully this time it will pan out better for us.

[digiskunk]

Random Reporter: Does the success that guys like JR Johnson, Silky Johnson, and Slim Jenkins have had since leaving Utah make you more cautious/determined to keep Len Bias and Leonard Washington around?

Unfortunately, yes. I've learned the hard way that you shouldn't give up on a prospect too soon... Almost all of those players have become g/p players now. I want to see the same in both Bias and Washington. So that is why they're untouchable.

[digiskunk]

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: Do you think Bias and Washington would have as much success last season if they weren't pulling the weight for an incapable front court? With more additions to your frontcourt this season, do you expect a drop in numbers?

That's a very good question—but unfortunately, I don't have the answer. Both players seemingly elevated themselves from rising prospects to borderline All-Stars within the course of a season. With the addition of Tua Tuamagkbmosdbo, it'll be interesting to see what kind of numbers they put up, especially now that they've developed a bit more.

[false9]

You've open stated you are still in the midst of your rebuild. Can we expect you to be active taking on future assets and points before the deadline?

[digiskunk]

You've open stated you are still in the midst of your rebuild. Can we expect you to be active taking on future assets and points before the deadline?

Definitely! I'll gladly take on contacts in exchange for points. And I'll definitely be listening to offers for some of my bench playas.